Method and apparatus for enhancing audience engagement via a communication network

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, capturing first monitoring information associated with an audience that is viewing a presentation, determining an actual audience engagement level by performing pattern recognition on the first monitoring information, comparing the actual audience engagement level with an expected audience engagement level to generate an engagement score for the presentation, and transmitting, to a device, a haptic feedback according to the engagement score during the presenting of the presentation. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/238,012, filed Jan. 2, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/092,994 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,187,694), filedApr. 7, 2016. The contents of the foregoing are hereby incorporated byreference into this application as if set forth herein in full.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for enhancingaudience engagement via a communication network.

BACKGROUND

Modern telecommunications systems provide consumers with telephonycapabilities while accessing a large variety of content. Consumers areno longer bound to specific locations when communicating with others orwhen enjoying multimedia content or accessing the varied resourcesavailable via the Internet. Network capabilities have expanded and havecreated additional interconnections and new opportunities for usingmobile communication devices in a variety of situations. Intelligentdevices offer new means for experiencing network interactions in waysthat anticipate consumer desires and provide solutions to problems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts illustrative embodiments of a system for providingfeedback on live presentations;

FIG. 2 depicts illustrative embodiments of a method used in portions ofthe system described in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3-4 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide presentation feedback according to the embodiments illustratedin FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal forinteracting with the communication systems of FIGS. 1, 3, and 4;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for providing feedback on audience engagement with apresentation. Various sensory inputs can be captured at an audiencelocation. This sensory information can be used to detect and verifyevidence of audience engagement (or disengagement) in a presentationthat they are experiencing. An engagement score can be calculated forthe audience as a whole, or specific members of the audience. Theengagement score can be provided to the presenter as feedback, which canbe dynamic (occurring in real time during the presentation) or can beretrospective (occurring as a post-mortem to the presentation). Thefeedback can be provided to the audience on an individual or collectivebasis. The engagement score can be compared to a threshold to determinewhether the presenter is provided with dynamic feedback during thepresentation. The engagement score can be augmented with furthersuggestion for improving audience engagement. The system can useengagement information to automatically adjust environmental systems foran audience location. Other embodiments are described in the subjectdisclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a server deviceincluding a memory to store executable instructions and a processorcommunicatively coupled to the memory. The processor, responsive toexecuting the executable instructions, can perform operations forreceiving first monitoring information associated with a presenting of apresentation and analyzing presentation activity of the first monitoringinformation to identify time periods of active presenting. The processorcan also perform operations for receiving second monitoring informationassociated with an audience that is viewing the presentation. Theprocessor can further perform operations for selecting a portion of thesecond monitoring information corresponding to the active presentingtime periods of the presentation and, in turn, analyzing the portion ofthe second monitoring information to identify an audience featureassociated with audience engagement in the presentation. The processorcan perform operations for submitting the audience feature that isidentified to an audience engagement model to generate an actualaudience engagement level. The processor can also perform operations forcomparing the actual audience engagement level with an expected audienceengagement level for the presenting of the presentation to generate anengagement score for the presenting of the presentation andtransmitting, to a notification device, a notification based on theengagement score.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a method,operating at a system comprising a processor, including receiving, bythe system, first monitoring information associated with an audiencethat is viewing a presentation and, in turn, analyzing, by the system,the first monitoring information to identify an audience featureassociated with audience engagement in the presentation. The method canalso include identifying, by the system, an indicator of audienceattentiveness to the presentation according to the audience reactionthat is detected. The method can further include submitting, by thesystem, the audience feature that is identified to an audienceengagement model to generate an actual audience engagement level. Themethod can include comparing, by the system, the actual audienceengagement level with an expected audience engagement level for thepresenting of the presentation to generate an engagement score for thepresenting of the presentation, and, in turn, transmitting, to anotification device, a notification based on the engagement score.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include amachine-readable, storage medium, including executable instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, can facilitate performance ofoperations, including capturing first monitoring information associatedwith an audience that is viewing a presentation. The instructions canalso facilitate performance of operations for determining an actualaudience engagement level by performing pattern recognition on the firstmonitoring information. The instructions can further facilitateperformance of operations for comparing the actual audience engagementlevel with an expected audience engagement level to generate anengagement score for the presentation. The instructions can facilitateperformance of operations for transmitting, to a device, a hapticfeedback according to the engagement score during the presenting of thepresentation.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a communication system 100 isillustrated. The system 100 can provide wireless communication services,including voice, video data and/or messaging services to mobilecommunications devices 116 and other computer devices 118. The system100 can provide wireline communication services, such as serving as anInternet Service Provider (ISP) for computer devices 118. The system 100can provide subscription television services via wired and/or wirelesscommunications. For example, the system 100 can provide streaming mediacontent to a mobile communication device 116, via a cellular link 117,to a computer device 118, via a wired or wireless gateway 104, or to atelevision or monitor device 108, via a set-top box device 106. System100 can enable wireless communication services over a number ofdifferent networks, such as between mobile communication devices 116 andcomputer devices 118. Mobile communication devices 116 can include anumber of different types of devices that are capable of voice, video,data and/or messaging communications, including cellular phones,smartphones, personal computers, media processing devices, and so forth.

In one or more embodiments, the communication system 100 can provideaccess to an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network150 to facilitated combined services of circuit-switched andpacket-switched systems. The IMS network 150 can be accessed, forexample, via one or more cellular base stations 117. For example, amobile communication device 116 can connect to a cellular base station117 via a wireless communication signal. The mobile communication device116 can communication, via the IMS network 150, with other mobilecommunication devices, with landline communication devices, and with anInternet Protocol (IP) network 155, such as the Internet or theworld-wide web (WWW). The communication system 100 can providecommunications and sharing of various resources between mobilecommunication devices 116 and various devices, such as computer devices118, which are connected to the IP network 155.

In one or more embodiments, the system 100 can include an engagementserver 130. The engagement server 130 can communicate with the system100 via wireless and/or wireline communications for accessing systemresources, including resources accessible via the IMS network 150 andthe IP network 155. Engagement server 130 can collect informationmonitored from a presentation environment 190, and can analyze themonitoring information to determine an engagement score that measuresaudience engagement in the presentation.

In one or more embodiments, the presentation environment 190 can includea presenter space 180 and an audience space 170. The presenter space 180and audience space 170 can be co-located in the same room or venue orcan be located in different rooms or venues. A presenter 185 can belocated in a presenter space 180 at a first location, while an audiencecan be located in an audience space 170 at a second location. In thefirst scenario, the audience 170 may experience presentation by seeingthe presenter 185 physically standing before them and hearing thepresenter's words physically coming from the presenter's mouth. Thesephysical manifestations can be augmented with video and/or audio as, forexample, a display screen may be used to show the presenter 185 and/orother information to the co-located audience 175 or a soundamplification system may be used to reinforce the presenter's voice. Inthe second scenario, where the audience 175 is not co-located with thepresenter 185, the audience 175 can experience the presentation via aclosed-circuit television feed of the presentation. The viewingscenarios can be mixed as, for example, where the presenter 185 isspeaking before a first audience 170 at a venue, where the presenterspace 180 and the audience space 170 are co-located, while aclosed-circuit television feed of the presentation is simultaneouslyshown to a second audience 170 at a second venue that is remote from thepresenter space 180.

In one or more embodiments, the presenter space 180 can includeequipment 181, 182 for monitoring the presentation. For example, a videocamera 182 and a microphone 181 can be included for capturing video andaudio of the presentation. Computing devices, such as a mobilecommunication device 116 and/or a computer device 118 can be included inthe presentation space 180. In one or more embodiments, the audiencespace 180 can include equipment 177, 179 for monitoring the audience.For example, video cameras 177 and microphone 179 can be included forcapturing video and audio of the audience. Computing devices, such asmobile communication devices 116 and/or a computer devices 118 can beincluded in the audience space 170.

In one or more embodiments, an array of cameras 177 and/or microphonescan be placed at the audience space 170 to observe the audience 175. Oneor more cameras 182 and/or microphones 181 can be placed at thepresenter space 180 to observe the presenter 185 (or multiplepresenters). The cameras 177 and 182 can produce a stream of images,while the microphones 179 and 181 can produce audio signals that capturemonitoring information for both the presenter 185 (and the presentation)and the audience 175.

In one or more embodiments, the monitoring information can be providedto an engagement server 130 that is located at or near the presentationenvironment 190. For privacy and/or security reasons, the system 100 canbe arranged such that the captured monitoring information is onlyanalyzed by a local engagement server 130 and is then discarded. Insettings such as classrooms, the need for privacy and security may beespecially great. For example, the engagement server 130 can beconnected to the monitoring equipment 177-182 via closed wirelinecircuitry or via secure, short-range wireless communication links. Inone embodiment, the monitoring information that is captured from thepresenter space 180 can be kept for additional analysis or archival,while the monitoring information from the audience space 170 isdiscarded.

In one or more embodiments, all or part of the monitoring informationcan be forwarded via one or more networks 150, 155 to a presentationanalysis server 135. In one embodiment, the presentation analysis server135 can perform the analysis functions of the engagement server 130.This arrangement can be useful in situations, where the audience hasprovided permission for the monitoring information to be maintained,analyzed, and/or shared. For example, in a business setting, where theaudience is comprised of employees, the employer-employee relationshipmay create a direct or implied permission for the employer to captureand maintain monitoring information from the employee audience members.In another example, attendees at an event, such as a rock concert, mayprovide passive permission for the event organizer to capture and usemonitoring information by nature of their ticket stub agreements.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can analyze thepresenter monitoring information to determine when the presenter 185 isactively presenting to the audience 175. For example, a presentation canbe scheduled for a block of time, such as between 1:30-2:00 pm. However,due to various reasons, the presenter may only actively present from1:35-1:47 pm and, again, from 1:50-1:53 pm. The engagement level of theaudience 175 in the presentation may be of particular interest, whilethe engagement level during times of non-presentation may not be ofinterest or may, in fact, be misleading. The engagement server 130 mayanalyze the monitoring information from the presenter space 180 toidentify indicators of active presenting. For example, a video camera182 can capture the presence of the presenter 185 in the presentingspace 180 and use this as a simply indicator for identifying timeperiods of active presenting. In another example, the engagement server130 can analyzed frames of video to detect particular types of presenterbehavior that is consistent with active presenting. Image patternrecognition can be used to identify time periods of active presentingbased any or several detected situations on the video, such as thepresenter 185 facing the audience, movement of the mouth of thepresenter 185, presentation-type gestures by the presenter 185,proximity to a lectern or podium, and/or a facial identification thatthe person on the video is the presenter. In one embodiment, thepresenter 185 can signal when the presentation is “active” byinteracting with a mobile device 116 or computing device 118 (e.g.,interacting with an application that is linked to the engagement server130) or by engaging a visual presentation aid (e.g., visual slidepresentation software). The engagement server 130 can use anycombination of these indicators to identify periods of time, where thepresenter 185 appears to be actively presenting and the audience 175 isexpected to be actively engaged.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can analyze audiosignals that are captured from the presenter space 180. The engagementserver 130 can use a voice recognition algorithm to analyze the audiosignals for determining if the presenter 185 is speaking, or if anotherperson is speaking. The engagement server 130 can use a speech-to-textalgorithm to analyze the audio signals for determining what thepresenter 185 is saying. The engagement server 130 can analyze thevolume of the presenter's voice to determine if it is consistent with apresentation or with a conversation, for example. In one or moreembodiments, the engagement server 130 can use these types of analysisto determine whether the presenter 130 is actively presenting thepresentation. For example, if someone else is speaking, or if thepresenter 185 is speaking but not only to someone at the presenter space180, then the engagement server 130 can conclude that the presentationis not current active, and, therefore, the monitoring information fromthe audience can be ignored.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can use analysisof the monitored information from the presenter space 180 to determinean expected audience engagement level. In one embodiment, the engagementserver 130 can analyze video content captured at the presenter space 180to identify features such as location, speed, and range of movement forthe presenter. Pattern recognition can be used to identify features suchas gestures, facial expressions, and movement repetition. In anotherexample, the engagement server 130 can analyze audio content captured atthe presenter space 180 to identify features such as the relative volumeof the presenter's voice, specific content of speech, rapidity ofspeech, repetition of phrases, clarity of language, grade-level oflanguage, and use of speech techniques. Particular types of features ina presenter's words, actions, and behaviors are known to affect audienceengagement in a presentation. Likewise, changes in these features canchange audience engagement. For example, increases in audiocharacteristics, gestures, movement and so forth of a presenter can beindicative of a part of the presentation that the presenter is applyingmore emphasis to and is expected to receive more attention by theaudience. The engagement server 130 can identify the presence or absenceof these features.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can use one ormore engagement models 131 for making audience engagement predictionsand/or actual the identified features in the monitored information fromthe presenter space 180 as input to a presentation engagement model131A. In one or more embodiments, video and/or audio of prior speechesby this presenter 185 and/or other presenters can be similarly analyzedto identify video and audio features these prior presentations. Anindependent assessment of the presentation engagement level of theseprior presentations can be derived by, for example, surveys or expertopinion. The features of the prior presentations and their correspondingpresentation engagement levels, or scores, can be used to train apresentation engagement model 131A. In one or more embodiments, thefeatures that are identified in the current presentation can besubmitted into the trained presentation engagement model 131A togenerate an expected audience engagement level for the current presenter185 and presentation. As a result, a combination of the availablemonitoring information for the presenter space 180 can be used togenerate an expected audience engagement level, which can be used as areference to determine the relative engagement level of the audience.The expected audience engagement level can be determined by on acontinuous basis throughout the presentation and is likely to fluctuateas the presenter discusses different subject matter, changespresentation techniques, and so on.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can correlate, orfilter, monitoring information that is captured from the audience space170 with the time periods for which the engagement server 130 hasdetermined that the presenter 185 is actively presenting to the audience175. During time periods where the monitoring information from thepresenter space 180 indicates that the presentation is not active, theengagement server 130 can avoid analyzing of the monitoring informationfrom the audience space 170.

In one or more embodiments, for time periods of active presenting, theengagement server 130 can analyze the audience monitoring information todetermine an actual audience engagement level. For example, the audiencemonitoring information can include a group of video cameras 177 that cancapture what is happening in the audience space 170 during thepresentation. The group of video cameras 177 can provide streams ofvideo information to the engagement server 130. The engagement server130 can use pattern recognition to analyze frames of the video streamsto identify features of the audience. Image pattern recognition can beused to identify features, such as bodies, bodily features, heads,faces, postures, and positions. The engagement server 130 can identifymovements, such as standing up and walking out (perhaps to get coffee).The engagement server 130 can analysis the video information from thegroup of video cameras 177 to identify instances of members of theaudience 175 interacting with computer devices 118 and/or mobile devices116. The engagement server 130 can use facial recognition software toidentify specific faces of members of the audience as being specificindividuals, whose facial profiles are known to the engagement server130. The engagement server 130 can also recognize the presence of objectfeatures, such as electronic devices, books, papers, and writinginstruments. The analysis can include comparing sequential frames in thevideo stream to detect rates of change in the position and/or locationof bodily features or objects. For example, the analysis can usesequential frame comparison to detect rates of movement in features,such as head tilting, head rotation, eye blinking, and torso leaning. Inone or more embodiments, visual features can imply levels of focusand/or engagement of the audience in general, and of individual membersof the audience in general.

In one or more embodiments, the audience monitoring information caninclude a group of microphones 179 that can capture what is happening inthe audience space 170 during the presentation. The group of microphones179 can provide audio signal information to the engagement server 130.In one embodiment, the group of video cameras 177 and/or the group ofmicrophones 179 can be coupled to the engagement server 130 over ashort-range, wireless communication link, such as a Bluetooth or WiFiconnection. The engagement server 130 can analyze the audio signalsusing pattern recognition to identify features, such as the sound ofvoices, rustling papers, entering data on keypads of computer devices118 and/or mobile devices 116, and shifting in seats. The analysis canalso analyzed the audio signals using voice recognition to identifyvoices of particular individuals, whose voice profiles are known to theengagement server 130. The engagement server 130 can use aspeech-to-text algorithm to convert any speech content that is picked upby the microphones in the audience space into text. The group ofmicrophones 179 can capture sound from both the presenter 185 and theaudience 175. As a result, the sound of the presenter 185 can make itdifficult for the engagement server 130 to isolate the sound of theaudience 175. In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 canuse a noise cancellation algorithm to isolate the audio that isgenerated from the audience 175 from the audio that is generated fromthe presenter 185. For example, the engagement server 130 can combine aninverted version of audio that is captured by the microphones 181 at thepresenter space 180 with audio that is captured by the microphones 179at the audience space 170. The resulting combination can cancel out thepart of the audience space audio signal that is generated by thepresenter 185 leaving the audience-generated audio as the main remainingcomponent in the combined signal.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can use analysisof the identified features from the monitored information at theaudience space 170 to determine an actual audience engagement level. Forexample, the engagement server 130 use the identified features from themonitoring information of the audience space 170 as inputs to anaudience engagement model 131B. In one or more embodiments, video and/oraudio from prior audiences 175 can be similarly analyzed to identifyvideo and audio features of these audiences as these audiences receivedthe prior presentations. An independent assessment of the audienceengagement level of these prior audiences can be derived by, forexample, surveys or expert opinion. These features of the priorpresentations and their corresponding audience engagement levels, orscores, can be used to train an audience engagement model 131B. Dynamiccorrelations are determined with respect to how changes in presentationtechniques result in changes in audience attentiveness. In one or moreembodiments, the features that are identified in the currentpresentation can be submitted to the trained audience engagement model131B to generate an actual audience engagement level for the currentaudience 175 and the presentation that it is receiving. As a result, acombination of the available monitoring information for the audiencespace 170 can be used to generate an actual audience engagement level.The engagement server 130 can determine the actual audience engagementlevel continuously during the presentation. In one embodiment, theengagement server 130 can generate a pair of expected—actual engagementlevels at many points during the presentation, so that a mapping of theexpected to actual engagement is generated for comparison and analysis.For example, a presenter may change her presentation technique (increasevocal volume, move toward the audience) during the presentation, andthese changes should be reflected in both the expected audienceengagement level and the actual audience engagement level, where thelater should track the former.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can compare theexpected audience engagement level with the actual audience engagementlevel to generate an engagement score for this presenter-audiencecombination. As described above, this comparison can, in fact, be aseries of comparisons of a set of pairs of expected audience engagementlevels and actual audience engagement levels. The engagement server 130can determine if and when the actual audience engagement levelsignificantly diverges from the expected audience engagement level. Forexample, if the presentation engagement model 131B predicts that thepresenter 185 should achieve a relatively high level of audienceengagement, and, in fact, the monitored information from the audiencespace 170, as processed through the actual audience engagement model131B, agrees with this prediction, then there will be little deviationbetween the predicted and actual results. In this case, the presenter185 did a good job of presenting (from an engagement perspective), andthe audience 175 did a good job of engaging in the presented material.If the actual audience engagement level were substantially lower thanthe expected audience engagement level, then this would indicate a poorjob by the audience in engaging with the presentation—the audienceunder-performed the level of the presentation. If the actual audienceengagement level were substantially higher than the expected audienceengagement level, then this would indicate a good job by the audience inengaging with the presentation—the audience over-performed thepresentation.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 generate anengagement score based on the comparing of the expected audienceengagement level and the actual audience engagement level. For example,a positive score could indicate audience over-performance, a negativescore could indicate audience under-performance, and a score of zerocould indicate that the audience engagement was as predicted.Alternatively, the scores could be presented over a positive numberscale, such as from 0 to 10, corresponding with bad to good relativeaudience engagement. In another alternative, the scores could benormalized to a standard set of audience engagement scores, where ascore of 1 could correspond to a standard level of engagement, less thanone could correspond to below standard engagement, and greater than onewould could correspond to above standard engagement. In one or moreembodiments, the engagement server 130 can report separate engagementsscores for the presenter 185 and the audience 175 based on thepresentation engagement model 131A and the audience engagement model131B.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can report one ormore engagement scores for the presenter 185, the audience 175, or acombination of the presenter 185 and the audience 175. In oneembodiment, the engagement server 130 can determine one or moreengagement scores during the presentation and can also send anotification of these scores during the presentation. For example, theengagement server 130 can send a notification to a mobile device 116 ora computer device 118 belonging to the presenter 185, an audience member175A, or a third party. The engagement server 130 can send anotification to a network device, such as a presentation analysis server135 that can archive presentation engagement information for lateranalysis. In one embodiment, the engagement server 130 can send anotification that provides immediate feedback to the presenter 185. Forexample, the notification can generate a haptic feedback at thepresenter space 180, where the feedback is, itself, presented at amobile device 116 or a computer device 118. The haptic feedback can be,for example, a vibration, a screen flash, a text message, an audiblemessage in an earbud, or another indication of an important engagementscore event. The presenter 185 can experience an immediate feedback thatcan tell the presenter 185 that what he is doing is working or notworking. In one embodiment, the engagement server 130 can provide asuggestion to the presenter 185 based on its analysis of the monitoringinformation. For example, the engagement server 130 determine from themonitoring information that the presenter 185 should slow down or speedup or speak louder and can provide this in its notification.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can provide anotification of an engagement score and/or audience engagement levels tothe audience 175. For example, the engagement server 130 can determinethat the presentation engagement score is low and that the cause is alow, actual audience engagement level. Further, the engagement server130 may determine a particular cause (or symptom) for the low audienceengagement level, such as conversations between audience members. Theengagement server 130 can send a notification to entire audience 175via, for example, mobile devices 116 of the audience 175 or to a displaythat is visible to the audience 175. The notification can include anindication of the problem that has been detected.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can identify aparticular audience member 175A that appears to be exhibiting an issuewith engagement with the presentation. For example, among an audience175 that is displaying solid engaging in the presentation, a particularaudience member 175A may be an “outlier,” who is not engaged. Forexample, a member of the audience 175 (perhaps a student in a schoolsetting) is sleeping though the presentation. The monitoringinformation, such as a stream from one of the video cameras that aremonitoring the audience space 170, can identify the action of thesleeping audience member 175A via pattern recognition. Further, theengagement server 130 can determine the identity of the sleepingaudience member 175A via, for example, the facial recognition algorithmor by recognizing a seating location that is associated with thisparticular audience member 175A. In one embodiment, the engagementserver 130 can notify this audience member 175A directly, by sending anotification to a device 116 of the audience member 175A. Alternatively,the engagement server 130 can notify an authority (supervisor, teacher,counsellor) over the audience member 175A so that the authority canaddress the issue.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can transmit allor part of the monitored information, the audience engagement levels,and/or the engagement scores to a presentation analysis server 135. Forexample, the presentation analysis server 135 can be a remote processingengine that can receive monitoring information from the presenter space180 and/or the audience space 170 and that can use machine learningtechniques to correlate engagement scores and/or levels with a set ofengagement patterns specific to age group, subject, gender, and/or otherdemographics. The presenter 185 can be provided with details about acontinuum of engagement patterns that are demonstrated by data that hasbeen collected over a large number of presentations, presenters, andaudiences. The most important of the engagement patterns are arguablythose that are found to create maximum and minimum engagement levelsand/or scores. Such reporting can be used by others for comparativestudies between various presenters.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 and/or thepresentation analysis server 135 can create an engagement profile foreach presenter 185. The engagement profile can be archived at apresentation performance database 134 and can be shared with thepresenters 185 to help them best determine how to engage the audience inthe future or via live feedback, where feasible. It is recognized that aparticular audience 175 in an audience space 170, at a given time ofday, may require a different engagement strategy than a differentaudience at a different space on a different day. However, thepresentation factors and strategies for achieving high levels ofaudience engagement are predictable. Admittedly, the system 100 could beused as a mechanism for comparatively measure presenter style as well asengagement.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement scores can be retained whilethe underlying monitoring information (images and/or audio) can bediscarded or retained to allay privacy concerns, as appropriate. Forexample, an opt-out configuration can be used, where the system wouldnever make the audio or imagery available to anyone and the analysiswould be conducted in-situ at, for example, the engagement server 130.In one embodiment, the engagement results could be made available toothers, as appropriate. The engagement results could include detailssuch as “where was the presenter?”, “how was the presenter speaking?”,“which way was the presenter facing?”, or “what was the distribution oflive audience engagement (number of audience members versus theirengagement levels)?” In one embodiment, these records may be time-taggedand processed by a classification engine, such as a presentationanalysis server 135, which may be a remote machine outside thepresentation environment 190. In this arrangement, the presenters andlive audience members need not be concerned about any specific thingsthey've said or any images of them being sent anywhere or recorded forsubsequent review. The pre-processing which occurs in or near thepresentation environment would only retain imagery in memory (notstorage) long enough to generate data for a time segment, after whichthe inputs would be deleted.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can monitor theaudience space 170 for indications of wireless communication traffic. Inone embodiment, the engagement server 130 can connect to a local areanetwork (LAN) that is serving the area in which the audience space 170is located. The engagement server 130 can receive information from alocal gateway device 104, or router, that is providing network servicesfor the LAN, where the information can include local traffic features,such as the number of devices that are connected to the network, thesize of the communication traffic load relative to capacity, and machineidentification information (MAC addresses, dynamic IP addresses) fordevices connected to the LAN. In one embodiment, the engagement server130 can monitor the audience space 170 for cellular frequenciescommunications. In one embodiment, the engagement server 130 can comparethe wireless communication traffic level during the active presentingtime periods with a standard wireless communication traffic level forthe audience space 170 to determine if the in-presentation level is highenough to infer that the audience 175 is displaying a symptom ofinattentiveness to that presentation. The engagement server 130 caninclude the relative level of wireless communications to the otheridentified features of the audience 175 in the active presenting periodwhile determining the actual audience engagement level and can addwireless communications (texting, accessing Internet-basedapplications), as needed, to the notifications that are sent topresenter 185 and/or audience 175 as a result of the engagement scoring.

In one or more embodiments, the engagement server 130 can communicatewith systems that control one or more aspects of the environment of theaudience space 170. For example, if the audience space 170 is inside ofa building, then the audience space 170 may be subject to a heating,ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) that is, itself,controlled by an HVAC control system. The audience space 170 may also besubject to lighting infrastructure that is controlled by a lightingcontrol system. In one embodiment, the engagement server 130 can read acurrent temperature and thermostat setting from the HVAC control system.The engagement server 130 can also read a current configuration (e.g., apre-set lighting configuration) for the lighting control system. In oneembodiment, when the engagement server 130 determines that the audienceis substantially under-performing (or, possible over-performing) interms of engagement, then the engagement server 130 can transmit arequest to HVAC system, the lighting system, or a combination of thesesystems to participate in the providing feedback to the audience 175and/or presenter 185. For example, the engagement server 130 couldrequest a discernable lighting adjustment as a signal to the presenter185 that the current engage level needs to be improved. In anotherexample, the engagement server 130 can signal the HVAC control system toreduce a thermostat setting for the audience space 170 in an attempt towake up the audience.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used by inportions of the system described in FIG. 1. In particular, FIG. 2 showsillustrative embodiments of a method 200 for providing presentationengagement scoring and feedback.

In step 204, an engagement server 130 can receive monitoring informationfrom a presenter space 180. The monitoring information that is capturedfrom the presenter space 180 can be kept for additional analysis orarchival or can be discarded to after it is analyzed. The monitoringinformation can include video and/or audio of the presenting space.

In step 208, the engagement server 130 can analyze the presentermonitoring information to identify periods of active presenting. Theengagement server 130 may analyze the monitoring information from thepresenter space 180 to identify indicators of active presenting. Patternrecognition and facial recognition can be used to identify thepresenter, movement, position, and/or gestures from video monitoring.Voice recognition and speech-to-text analysis can be used to identifythe presenter and/or the content of the presentation from audiomonitoring. The engagement server 130 can determine when the presenteris actively presenting to the audience based on analysis of theindicators of active presenting.

In step 212, the engagement server 130 can analyze presenter monitoringcaptured at the presenter space 180 to identify one or more presentationfeatures associated with audience engagement. The engagement server 130can use pattern recognition to identify video features, such aslocation, speed, and range of movement for the presenter and gestures,facial expressions, and movement repetition. The engagement server 130can use pattern and speech-to-text recognition to identify audiofeatures, such as relative volume of the presenter's voice, specificcontent of speech, rapidity of speech, repetition of phrases, clarity oflanguage, grade-level of language, and use of speech techniques. In oneembodiment, patterns can be detected and analyzed to identify moresignificant patterns or more significant presenter features that areindicative of a part of the presentation that is expected to be moreclosely followed by the audience. For example, increases in audiocharacteristics, gestures, movement and so forth of a presenter can beindicative of a part of the presentation that the presenter is applyingmore emphasis to and is expected to receive more attention by theaudience.

In step 216, the engagement server 130 can submit one or morepresentation features to a presentation engagement model 131A. Thepresentation model 131A can be trained to predict audience engagementfrom identified presentation features. An expected audience engagementlevel can be generated by the presentation model 131A.

In step 220 the engagement server 130 can receive monitoring informationfrom an audience space 170. The monitoring information that is capturedfrom the audience space 170 can be kept for additional analysis orarchival or can be discarded to after it is analyzed. The monitoringinformation can include video and/or audio of the presenting space.

In step 220, the engagement server 130 can select one or more portionsof the audience monitoring information that corresponds to the periodsof active presenting. The engagement server 130 can correlate, orfilter, monitoring information that is captured from the audience space170 with the time periods for which the engagement server 130 hasdetermined that the presenter 185 is actively presenting to the audience175.

In step 228, the engagement server 130 for the selected one or moreportions of the monitoring captured at the audience space 170 toidentify one or more audience features associated with audienceengagement. The engagement server 130 can use pattern recognition toidentify video features, such as bodies, bodily features, faces,postures, instances of members of the audience 175 interacting withcomputer devices 118 and/or mobile devices 116. The engagement server130 can use pattern and voice recognition to identify audio features,such as the sound of voices, rustling papers, entering data on keypadsof computer devices 118 and/or mobile devices 116, shifting in seats,and the identity of audience members, who are speaking.

In step 232, the engagement server 130 one or more audience features toan audience engagement model 131B. The audience model 131AB can betrained to predict audience engagement from identified audiencefeatures. An actual audience engagement level can be generated by theaudience model 131B.

In step 236, the engagement server 130 can compare the expected audienceengagement level with the actual audience engagement level to generatean engagement score for this presenter-audience combination. Theengagement server 130 can determine if and when the actual audienceengagement level significantly diverges from the expected audienceengagement level.

In step 240, the engagement server 130 can transmit a notification basedon the engagement score. The notification can be send to the presenter,the audience, a network server 135, and/or a third party. Thenotification can cause immediate feedback that can tell the presenter185 that what he is doing is working or not working. The notificationcan identify a particular audience member 175A that is an “outlier,” whois not engaged.

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 2, it isto be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 300 for delivering media content. The communication system 300can represent an Interactive Television System, such as an InternetProtocol Television (IPTV) media system. Communication system 300 can beoverlaid or operably coupled with system 100, of FIG. 1, as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 300. For instance, oneor more devices illustrated in the communication system 300 of FIG. 3can be used for providing feedback on audience engagement with apresentation. Various sensory inputs can be captured at an audiencelocation. This information can be used to detect and verify evidence ofaudience engagement (or disengagement) in a presentation that they areexperiencing. An engagement score can be calculated for the audience andcan be provided to the presenter as feedback, which can be dynamic orretrospective.

The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 310 withat least one super headend office server (SHS) 311 which receives mediacontent from satellite and/or terrestrial communication systems. In thepresent context, media content can represent, for example, audiocontent, moving image content such as 2D or 3D videos, video games,virtual reality content, still image content, and combinations thereof.The SHS server 311 can forward packets associated with the media contentto one or more video head-end servers (VHS) 314 via a network of videohead-end offices (VHO) 312 according to a multicast communicationprotocol.

The VHS 314 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 318 to commercial and/or residential buildings 302 housing agateway 304 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 318 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over fiber optical links orcopper twisted pairs 319 to buildings 302. The gateway 304 can usecommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 306 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 308 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 307 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 304, the media processors 306, and media devices 308 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, or other presentor next generation local or personal area wireless network technologies.By way of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 306 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 329 can be used in the mediasystem of FIG. 3. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 300. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 315 that include mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 331 coupled to thebuilding 302. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver331 can be transferred to the media processors 306 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 308. The media processors 306 can be equipped with a broadbandport to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 332 to enableinteractive services such as VoD and EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 333 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system300. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 333 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services. System 300 enablesvarious types of interactive television and/or services including IPTV,cable and/or satellite.

The subject disclosure can apply to other present or next generationover-the-air and/or landline media content services system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 330, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over the ISP network 332 towireline media devices 308 or wireless communication devices 316.

Communication system 300 can also provide for all or a portion of thecomputing devices 330 to function as an engagement server 130 (hereinreferred to as engagement server 330). The engagement server 330 can usecomputing and communication technology to perform function 362, whichcan include among other things, the presentation engagement feedbackfunction described by method 300 of FIG. 3. For instance, function 362of server 330 can be similar to the functions described for theengagement server 130, of FIG. 1, in accordance with method 200, of FIG.2. The media processors 306 and wireless communication devices 316 canbe provisioned with software functions 364 and 366, respectively, toutilize the services of engagement server 330. For instance, functions364 and 366 of media processors 306 and wireless communication devices316 can be similar to the functions described for the communicationdevices 116, 118, and 106 of FIG. 1 in accordance with method 200, ofFIG. 2.

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 317 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other present and next generation wide area wireless access networktechnologies can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 400employing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems. Communication system 400 can be overlaid or operably coupledwith system 100, of FIG. 1, and communication system 300 as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 300. The communicationsystem 400 of FIG. 4 can be used for providing feedback on audienceengagement with a presentation. Various sensory inputs can be capturedat an audience location. This information can be used to detect andverify evidence of audience engagement (or disengagement) in apresentation that they are experiencing. An engagement score can becalculated for the audience and can be provided to the presenter asfeedback, which can be dynamic or retrospective.

Communication system 400 can comprise a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)440, a tElephone NUmber Mapping (ENUM) server 430, and other networkelements of an IMS network 450. The IMS network 450 can establishcommunications between IMS-compliant communication devices (CDs) 401,402, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) CDs 403, 405, andcombinations thereof by way of a Media Gateway Control Function (MGCF)420 coupled to a PSTN network 460. The MGCF 420 need not be used when acommunication session involves IMS CD to IMS CD communications. Acommunication session involving at least one PSTN CD may utilize theMGCF 420.

IMS CDs 401, 402 can register with the IMS network 450 by contacting aProxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) which communicates with aninterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF), which in turn, communicates with a ServingCSCF (S-CSCF) to register the CDs with the HSS 440. To initiate acommunication session between CDs, an originating IMS CD 401 can submita Session Initiation Protocol (SIP INVITE) message to an originatingP-CSCF 404 which communicates with a corresponding originating S-CSCF406. The originating S-CSCF 406 can submit the SIP INVITE message to oneor more application servers (ASs) 417 that can provide a variety ofservices to IMS subscribers.

For example, the application servers 417 can be used to performoriginating call feature treatment functions on the calling party numberreceived by the originating S-CSCF 406 in the SIP INVITE message.Originating treatment functions can include determining whether thecalling party number has international calling services, call IDblocking, calling name blocking, 7-digit dialing, and/or is requestingspecial telephony features (e.g., *72 forward calls, *73 cancel callforwarding, *67 for caller ID blocking, and so on). Based on initialfilter criteria (iFCs) in a subscriber profile associated with a CD, oneor more application servers may be invoked to provide various calloriginating feature services.

Additionally, the originating S-CSCF 406 can submit queries to the ENUMsystem 430 to translate an E.164 telephone number in the SIP INVITEmessage to a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) if the terminatingcommunication device is IMS-compliant. The SIP URI can be used by anInterrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 407 to submit a query to the HSS 440 toidentify a terminating S-CSCF 414 associated with a terminating IMS CDsuch as reference 402. Once identified, the I-CSCF 407 can submit theSIP INVITE message to the terminating S-CSCF 414. The terminating S-CSCF414 can then identify a terminating P-CSCF 416 associated with theterminating CD 402. The P-CSCF 416 may then signal the CD 402 toestablish Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication services,thereby enabling the calling and called parties to engage in voiceand/or data communications. Based on the iFCs in the subscriber profile,one or more application servers may be invoked to provide various callterminating feature services, such as call forwarding, do not disturb,music tones, simultaneous ringing, sequential ringing, etc.

In some instances the aforementioned communication process issymmetrical. Accordingly, the terms “originating” and “terminating” inFIG. 4 may be interchangeable. It is further noted that communicationsystem 400 can be adapted to support video conferencing. In addition,communication system 400 can be adapted to provide the IMS CDs 401, 402with the multimedia and Internet services of communication system 400 ofFIG. 4.

If the terminating communication device is instead a PSTN CD such as CD403 or CD 405 (in instances where the cellular phone only supportscircuit-switched voice communications), the ENUM system 430 can respondwith an unsuccessful address resolution which can cause the originatingS-CSCF 406 to forward the call to the MGCF 420 via a Breakout GatewayControl Function (BGCF) 419. The MGCF 420 can then initiate the call tothe terminating PSTN CD over the PSTN network 460 to enable the callingand called parties to engage in voice and/or data communications.

It is further appreciated that the CDs of FIG. 4 can operate as wirelineor wireless devices. For example, the CDs of FIG. 4 can becommunicatively coupled to a cellular base station 421, a femtocell, aWiFi router, a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) baseunit, or another suitable wireless access unit to establishcommunications with the IMS network 450 of FIG. 4. The cellular accessbase station 421 can operate according to common wireless accessprotocols such as GSM, CDMA, TDMA, UMTS, WiMax, SDR, LTE, and so on.Other present and next generation wireless network technologies can beused by one or more embodiments of the subject disclosure. Accordingly,multiple wireline and wireless communication technologies can be used bythe CDs of FIG. 4.

Cellular phones supporting LTE can support packet-switched voice andpacket-switched data communications and thus may operate asIMS-compliant mobile devices. In this embodiment, the cellular basestation 421 may communicate directly with the IMS network 450 as shownby the arrow connecting the cellular base station 421 and the P-CSCF416.

Alternative forms of a CSCF can operate in a device, system, component,or other form of centralized or distributed hardware and/or software.Indeed, a respective CSCF may be embodied as a respective CSCF systemhaving one or more computers or servers, either centralized ordistributed, where each computer or server may be configured to performor provide, in whole or in part, any method, step, or functionalitydescribed herein in accordance with a respective CSCF. Likewise, otherfunctions, servers and computers described herein, including but notlimited to, the HSS, the ENUM server, the BGCF, and the MGCF, can beembodied in a respective system having one or more computers or servers,either centralized or distributed, where each computer or server may beconfigured to perform or provide, in whole or in part, any method, step,or functionality described herein in accordance with a respectivefunction, server, or computer.

The engagement server 330 of FIG. 4 can be operably coupled tocommunication system 400 for purposes similar to those described above.Engagement server 330 can perform function 462 and thereby providepresentation engagement feedback services to the CDs 401, 402, 403 and405 of FIG. 4 similar to the functions described for the engagementserver 130 of FIG. 1 in accordance with method 200 of FIG. 2. CDs 401,402, 403 and 405, which can be adapted with software to perform function472 to utilize the services of the engagement server 330 similar to thefunctions described for communication devices 116 of FIG. 1, inaccordance with method 200 of FIG. 2. Engagement server 330 can be anintegral part of the application server(s) 417 performing function 474,which can be substantially similar to function 462 and adapted to theoperations of the IMS network 450.

For illustration purposes only, the terms S-CSCF, P-CSCF, I-CSCF, and soon, can be server devices, but may be referred to in the subjectdisclosure without the word “server.” It is also understood that anyform of a CSCF server can operate in a device, system, component, orother form of centralized or distributed hardware and software. It isfurther noted that these terms and other terms such as DIAMETER commandsare terms can include features, methodologies, and/or fields that may bedescribed in whole or in part by standards bodies such as 3^(rd)Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is further noted that some orall embodiments of the subject disclosure may in whole or in partmodify, supplement, or otherwise supersede final or proposed standardspublished and promulgated by 3GPP.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal 502 of acommunication system 500. Communication system 500 can be overlaid oroperably coupled with system 100 of FIG. 1, communication system 300,and/or communication system 400 as another representative embodiment ofsystem 100 of FIG. 1, communication system 300, and/or communicationsystem 400. The web portal 502 can be used for managing services ofsystems 100 and 200 of FIGS. 1 and 2 and communication systems 400 and500. A web page of the web portal 502 can be accessed by a UniformResource Locator (URL) with an Internet browser using anInternet-capable communication device such as those described in FIGS.1, 3, and 4. The web portal 502 can be configured, for example, toaccess a media processor 406 and services managed thereby such as aDigital Video Recorder (DVR), a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog, anElectronic Programming Guide (EPG), or a personal catalog (such aspersonal videos, pictures, audio recordings, etc.) stored at the mediaprocessor 406. The web portal 502 can also be used for provisioning IMSservices described earlier, provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

The web portal 502 can further be utilized to manage and provisionsoftware applications 362-366, and 472-474 to adapt these applicationsas may be desired by subscribers and/or service providers of system 100of FIG. 1, and communication systems 300 and 400. For instance, users ofthe services provided by the engagement server 130 or 330 can log intotheir on-line accounts and provision the servers 130 or 330 withpreference information regarding media content types and/orconfiguration of media content or to provide device contact informationto the engagement server 130 or 330 to enable it to communication withdevices described in FIGS. 1 and 3-5. Service providers can log onto anadministrator account to provision, monitor and/or maintain the systems100 of FIG. 1 or server 330.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 600.Communication device 600 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1, 3, and/or 4and can be configured to perform portions of method 200 of FIG. 2.

Communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, apower supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, anorientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth®and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies caninclude, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO,WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 602 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 608 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In anembodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 withnavigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 610 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 610 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 600 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 600.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 600 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 606 of the communication device 600. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 600 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 600 to force thecommunication device 600 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 600 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 600 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 6. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The communication device 600 can be adapted to perform the functions ofdevices of FIG. 1, the media processor 306, the media devices 308, orthe portable communication devices 316 of FIG. 3, as well as the IMS CDs401-402 and PSTN CDs 403-405 of FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 500 can also represent other devices that canoperate in systems of FIG. 1, communication systems 300-400 of FIGS. 3and 4, such as a gaming console and a media player. In addition, thecontroller 606 can be adapted in various embodiments to perform thefunctions 362-366 and 472-474, respectively.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods described above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the engagement server 130, the media processor106, the mobile communication device 116, the computer device 118, thesocial media server 180, the subscription server 135, and/or otherdevices of FIGS. 1-5. In some embodiments, the machine may be connected(e.g., using a network 726) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in a server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may include a processor (or controller) 702(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit(GPU, or both), a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 708. The computer system 700 mayfurther include a display unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), a flat panel, or a solid state display). The computer system 700may include an input device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 714 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generationdevice 718 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 720. In distributed environments, the embodiments described inthe subject disclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units710 controlled by two or more computer systems 700. In thisconfiguration, presentations described by the subject disclosure may inpart be shown in a first of the display units 710, while the remainingportion is presented in a second of the display units 710.

The disk drive unit 716 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 724) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within theprocessor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700. Themain memory 704 and the processor 702 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable gate array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) including, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. It is furthernoted that a computing device such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations or methods may perform such operations directly or indirectlyby way of one or more intermediate devices directed by the computingdevice.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 722 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure. The term “non-transitory” as in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage includes without limitation memories, drives,devices and anything tangible but not a signal per se.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, and HTTP) canrepresent an example of the state of the art. Such standards are fromtime-to-time superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Wireless standards for device detection(e.g., RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth®, WiFi,Zigbee®), and long-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE)can be used by computer system 700. In one or more embodiments,information regarding use of services can be generated includingservices being accessed, media consumption history, user preferences,and so forth. This information can be obtained by various methodsincluding user input, detecting types of communications (e.g., videocontent vs. audio content), analysis of content streams, and so forth.The generating, obtaining and/or monitoring of this information can beresponsive to an authorization provided by the user.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all of the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

Less than all of the steps or functions described with respect to theexemplary processes or methods can also be performed in one or more ofthe exemplary embodiments. Further, the use of numerical terms todescribe a device, component, step or function, such as first, second,third, and so forth, is not intended to describe an order or functionunless expressly stated so. The use of the terms first, second, thirdand so forth, is generally to distinguish between devices, components,steps or functions unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, oneor more devices or components described with respect to the exemplaryembodiments can facilitate one or more functions, where the facilitating(e.g., facilitating access or facilitating establishing a connection)can include less than every step needed to perform the function or caninclude all of the steps needed to perform the function.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Itshould be understood that the processor can be multiple processors,which can include distributed processors or parallel processors in asingle machine or multiple machines. The processor can be used insupporting a virtual processing environment. The virtual processingenvironment may support one or more virtual machines representingcomputers, servers, or other computing devices. In such virtualmachines, components such as microprocessors and storage devices may bevirtualized or logically represented. The processor can include a statemachine, application specific integrated circuit, and/or programmablegate array including a Field PGA. In one or more embodiments, when aprocessor executes instructions to perform “operations”, this caninclude the processor performing the operations directly and/orfacilitating, directing, or cooperating with another device or componentto perform the operations.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A server device, comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations, the operations comprising: receiving first monitoringinformation associated with a presentation; filtering the firstmonitoring information to generate filtered monitoring information thatexcludes the first monitoring information outside of time periods ofactive presenting; analyzing the filtered monitoring information toidentify a presentation feature associated with audience engagement inthe presentation, wherein the presentation feature is further associatedwith a characteristic of a technique of a presenter of the presentation;submitting the presentation feature to a presentation engagement modelto generate an expected audience engagement level; and comparing anactual audience engagement level with the expected audience engagementlevel for the presentation to generate an engagement score for thepresentation.
 2. The server device of claim 1, wherein the operationsfurther comprise submitting an audience feature to an audienceengagement model to generate the actual audience engagement level. 3.The server device of claim 2, wherein the operations further compriseanalyzing the filtered monitoring information to identify the audiencefeature associated with audience engagement in the presentation.
 4. Theserver device of claim 1, wherein the operations further compriseanalyzing presentation activity of the first monitoring information toidentify the time periods of active presenting.
 5. The server device ofclaim 1, wherein the filtering the first monitoring information isfurther according to the time periods of active presenting.
 6. Theserver device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:receiving prior monitoring information associated with a priorpresenting of the presentation, wherein the prior monitoring informationincludes presentation features that are associated with thecharacteristic of the technique of the presenter in the priorpresenting; receiving a prior audience engagement level associated withthe prior presenting of the presentation; and training the presentationengagement model to generate the expected audience engagement levelbased on the prior monitoring information and the prior audienceengagement level.
 7. The server device of claim 6, wherein theoperations further comprise transmitting to a notification device, anotification based on the engagement score, wherein the engagement scoreis determined during the presentation, wherein the notification istransmitted during the presentation, and wherein the notificationincludes a suggestion for improving the engagement score based on amodification of the characteristic of the technique of the presenter. 8.The server device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:determining a plurality of actual audience engagement levels accordingto a plurality of audience features associated with a plurality ofaudience engagements for a plurality of portions of the presentation;and transmitting a notification indicating the plurality of actualaudience engagement levels associated with the plurality of portions ofthe presentation.
 9. The server device of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise transmitting to a notification device, anotification based on the engagement score, wherein the notificationcomprises a haptic feedback, via the notification device, of theengagement score to the presenter during the presentation.
 10. Theserver device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:detecting a first audience member in the filtered monitoring informationvia pattern recognition analysis; determining a first engagement levelfor the first audience member according to a first audience feature ofaudience engagement that is associated with the first audience member;and comparing the first engagement level with the expected audienceengagement level to generate a first engagement score that is associatedwith the first audience member.
 11. The server device of claim 10,wherein the operations further comprise: comparing the first engagementlevel of the first audience member and the actual audience engagementlevel to determine a relative engagement level of the first audiencemember; and generating a notification identifying the first audiencemember according to a result of the comparing of the first engagementlevel and the actual audience engagement level.
 12. A method,comprising: receiving, by a processing system including a processor,monitoring information associated with a presentation; analyzing, by theprocessing system, the monitoring information to identify a presentationfeature associated with audience engagement in the presentation, whereinthe analyzing the monitoring information ignores the monitoringinformation corresponding to a time when the presentation is notcurrently active; submitting, by the processing system, the presentationfeature to a presentation engagement model to generate an expectedaudience engagement level; and comparing, by the processing system, anactual audience engagement level with the expected audience engagementlevel for the presentation to generate an engagement score for thepresentation.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising submitting,by the processing system, an audience feature to an audience engagementmodel to generate the actual audience engagement level.
 14. The methodof claim 12, further comprising: receiving, by the processing system,the monitoring information from a plurality of video cameras thatcapture a plurality of images of an audience; performing, by theprocessing system, image recognition on the plurality of images of theaudience to identify a plurality of human features that are associatedwith the audience; and analyzing, by the processing system, theplurality of human features to identify movements, expressions,postures, or combinations thereof, that are associated with an audiencefeature that is associated with the audience engagement.
 15. The methodof claim 12, further comprising: receiving, by the processing system,the monitoring information from a plurality of audio microphones thatcapture a plurality of sounds of an audience; and performing, by theprocessing system, audio recognition on the plurality of sounds of theaudience to identify a plurality of human sounds that are associatedwith the audience; and analyzing, by the processing system, theplurality of human sounds to identify movements, vocalizations,interactions, or combinations thereof, that are associated with anaudience feature that is associated with the audience engagement. 16.The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving, by the processingsystem, the monitoring information from a radio frequency receiver thatcaptures wireless communication signals at a location of an audience;and analyzing, by the processing system, the wireless communicationsignals to identify communications associated with communication devicesof the audience, wherein the communications are associated with anaudience feature that is associated with the audience engagement. 17.The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving, by the processingsystem, the monitoring information from a plurality of video camerasthat capture a plurality of images of a presenter; performing, by theprocessing system, image recognition on the plurality of images of thepresenter to identify a plurality of human features that are associatedwith the presenter; and analyzing, by the processing system, theplurality of human features to identify movements, expressions,postures, or combinations thereof, that are associated with apresentation feature associated with the audience engagement.
 18. Amachine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructionsthat, when executed by a processing system including a processor,facilitate performance of operations, comprising: filtering monitoringinformation to generate filtered monitoring information that excludesthe monitoring information outside of time periods of active presenting;identifying a presentation feature associated with audience engagementin a presentation according to the filtered monitoring information,wherein the presentation feature is further associated with acharacteristic of a technique of a presenter of the presentation;submitting the presentation feature to a presentation engagement modelto generate an expected audience engagement level; comparing an actualaudience engagement level with the expected audience engagement levelfor the presentation to generate an engagement score for thepresentation.
 19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18,wherein a first location of the presentation is remote from a secondlocation of an audience.
 20. The machine-readable storage medium ofclaim 18, wherein the operations further comprise: analyzing thefiltered monitoring information to identify an audience featureassociated with the audience engagement in the presentation; andsubmitting the audience feature to an audience engagement model togenerate the actual audience engagement level.